Checking In

I haven't had much time to blog recently. My husband usually works second shift and gets home at 11:30 pm, leaving me plenty of time for blogging after the kids are in bed. Last week and this week he's been on day shift, with a couple double shifts thrown in. He doesn't like to see me spend much time on the computer when he's home in the evenings, since that's a rarity, as is our time alone together. So, this will have to be short.

LANGUAGE EXPLOSION - FOUR-YEARS

Timothy, my four-year-old, is having a language explosion. Suddenly, big words are all the rage for him. He doesn't always get them right, which makes for humorous moments. This morning, when annoyed with his brother, he said, "Stop it! You're advertising me!"
Translation: antagonizing

Driving home the other day, he brought up a math concept, and for the life of me I can't remember which one, but I do remember him saying, "This one is really complicated." For a long time, when trying to convey the same thing, he's used the word "tricky". I had to smile at him slipping that "complicated" in there.

There's one more I've been hearing lately, and that's ridiculo - translation: ridiculous

ADHD AND CAFFEINE

A few posts ago I wrote about Daniel's ADHD symptoms, and my fellow Google Blogger, Ashley, suggested in the comments that caffeine calms the ADD/ADHD nervous system. As well, it is much less dangerous than the standard ADHD drugs, if given in small, child-safe doses. I had wondered about this a year or so ago, but never did any research. After reading Ashley's comment, I decided it was time to look into it, especially since Daniel is very symptomatic right now. God help me!

It has indeed been shown that caffeine calms those who struggle with this neurological disorder. As Ashley has found, it not only calms, but also induces sleep. Doctors aren't exactly recommending it, but I'm sure that has something to do with the pharmaceutical companies and the profit sharing they do with physicians. I don't have proof of any profit sharing, but I've read stories about it. The ADHD drug business is very lucrative. We won't consider prescription drugs, unless our world really seems to be falling apart. We aren't there, thank the Lord.

Yesterday, I gave Daniel a three-quarter cup of tea, blended with vanilla ice cream and chocolate. The flavor wasn't masked enough, but he managed to get down a half to two-thirds of it. That was at 12:30 pm; forty-five minutes later, I thought I definitely detected slight sleepiness, as well as a reduction in the amount of time he spent in his needy mode (in my face, expecting to be entertained). Twice he said he was going to take a nap, but he never actually followed through and fell asleep. I would guess the effects lasted maybe three or four hours. The fact that it didn't hype him up proves, to me anyway, that his body chemistry is not the norm. He has never consumed caffeine on any other occasion, except what is found in chocolate cake or other such desserts, which he has about two or three times a month.

I don't know if I will try again; it's definitely something we have to pray about. IF we try again it will be with a cola, as trying to mask the flavor of tea is too difficult. I don't let the kids have any cola, so I don't know to what extent I'll have to mask the flavor. One study I read indicated a couple ounces of tea or other caffeinated beverage given every few hours, reduced symptoms the best, without turning the child into a zombie. The sugar/carbination factor in soda is upsetting, as it's definitely been proven to cause decay. The kids all have great teeth, so far. I wonder if caffeine comes in any other acceptable, more benign form, and in small doses?

LOOKING AT THE BIG PICTURE

I absolutely hate the idea of giving him anything, but it has become clear lately that the other two children, as well as my husband and myself, are all adversely effected by Daniel's symptoms. There are side effects from caffeine, and certainly they aren't something we want Daniel to have to deal with. At some point, though, it comes down to this. Is it really acceptable for him to emotionally and mentally drain the other four members of the family, essentially holding us all back from peace, as well as from the full pursuit of our goals, both personal and collective? Having ADHD may mean he won't be able to accomplish as much as we would all hope for. He is very bright and creative, and I have no doubt he could potentially make a nice contribution to society, if this condition doesn't interfere. If we don't treat it, the effects on the family could mean that the other two children may not reach their fullest potential either. And Don and I certainly wouldn't be able to reach our fullest potential as parents. ADHD can be so exhausting to deal with, that the emotional and mental energy one starts the day with is quickly eroded.

Studies show that kids who receive treatment fare better than those who don't, both in the short term and in the long term. Much of this, I believe, has to do with the self-esteem issue. Having everyone around you annoyed at you half the time can't be good for one's self-esteem, yet that is what these kids deal with. They don't understand that they are invading people's space, and even when trained to recognize the signs, they don't always have the impulse control to stop the "bugging".

Of course, there are days and weeks and sometimes a couple months when his supposed condition doesn't effect us much at all. The emotional outbursts improved last fall, and although those haven't returned, there are other symptoms that are very draining as well, but to a lesser extent. When his ability to control his emotions improved, I thought we were home free, but this winter has taken its toll. ADHD kids NEED to be outside, experiencing nature (green therapy) and exercising. Both of these activities have shown improvement in case studies. Not surprisingly, the most marked improvement we've seen occurred last summer and fall, when Daniel spent a LOT of time outside, catching insects and frogs and playing with his brother. We also went hiking a fair amount, with Don having the poison ivy cases to prove it. lol

Sticking to a fairly rigid daily schedule helps tremendously as well, but that is hard to maintain day after day, especially with Don's work hours changing somewhat frequently. In summer, in fact, he will work day shift every day, returning to night shift when school starts in the fall. I am doing my best to come up with a homeschool, play and chore schedule that works for the baby, the boys, and myself, during the typical week. However, when Emily goes down to one nap rather than two, it will need to be revised again. Life with kids is always in flux.

The ideal plan would be to use the natural remedies, in conjunction with family therapy, if we can afford it. Family therapy, in conjunction with drug treatment, yields the best results, according to most studies. But then again, how many of those studies were sponsored by pharmaceutical companies?

So much to pray and think about. I sure didn't mean to blog so long about this, but this does help clear my mind.